Analogue Nt mini

Analogue Nt mini

Manufacturer	Analogue, Inc.
Product family	Analogue Nt
Type	Home video game console
Release date	January 25, 2017
Retail availability	2017-
Media	Game cartridges, SD card
CPU	Altera Cyclone V
Display	HDMI (1080p, 720p, 480p), Analog (RGB, Component, S-video & composite)
Sound	48Khz, 16-bit, digital and analog
Connectivity	NES-style controller ports (4), USB, Famicom expansion port, Famicom microphone input, HDMI output, Analog video output, Analog audio output (RCA)
Website	www.analogue.co

The Analogue Nt mini^[1] is an FGPA-based aftermarket Nintendo Entertainment System and Famicom designed and manufactured by Seattle based company Analogue, Inc. Not to be confused with the original Analogue Nt, the Nt mini is designed around an FPGA and is an entirely separate product. The Nt mini was designed to be the greatest way to explore 100% of Nintendo's entire 8Bit console era.^[2]
With features such as 1080p HDMI, analog video (RGB, Component, S-Video, & Composite), analog audio (48khz 16-bit), original NES-style controller ports, a Famicom expansion port, a Famicom microphone input, there is no NES, Famicom, Famicom Disk System cartridge or accessory in Nintendo's 8Bit era that cannot be used on the Nt mini.^[3] Like the original Analogue Nt, the Nt mini's enclosure is a solid aluminum unibody enclosure manufactured from 6061 aluminum. It is 20% smaller than the original Nt.^[4]

Jailbroken Firmware

An alternative "Jailbroken" firmware for the Nt mini was "'unofficially'" released on February 3, 2017, by Analogue's lead Electrical Engineer, Kevin "Kevtris" Horton.^[5] The Jailbreak firmware turns your Nt mini into an FPGA-based 8bit multi video game system. Kevtris had spent nearly 20 years reverse engineering over twenty 8Bit video game systems and implemented them into FPGA "core's". An FPGA "core" is not software emulation, but hardware simulation. With the Jailbreak firmware, the Nt mini is programmed with the ability to operate as an NES, Famicom, Sega Master System, SG-1000, Game Gear and Colecovision, converting it into a multi-system of unprecedented power.^[6]

Reception

The Nt mini was released on January 25, 2017 to critical acclaim, praising its superiority to "clone consoles". Engadget said, "The Nt Mini offers enthusiasts an authentic, tangible way to play these classics without struggling with outdated technology or subpar console clones. All romanticizing aside, the premium console excels at this task."^[7]
Techcrunch applauded the Nt mini's FPGA, "The Nt Mini is not using emulation to provide your NES gaming experience, the way those inexpensive modern consoles from Retros and others do – it’s playing the games exactly as they were intended to be played, without the lag induced software trickery, which is present even on the NES classic.".^[8]
Forbes said, "The Analogue Nt is not some Nintendo clone gaming system hastily produced with parts found in the wreckage of a computer repair store. The Analogue Nt Mini is a solid tribute to the 8-bit era designed not to only capture our nostalgic spirit for a simpler time in gaming, but to keep our love for classic games alive with new hardware.".^[9]

References